Shadowing Practice: 15 tips to stop doom scrolling ✧ end your phone addiction *✧･ﾟ:* - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Are you feeling tired?
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Tired from scrolling the whole day in your bed, knowing you should be doing something else, but you just can't stop.
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And when you do, you have no energy to do anything, so you go back to distracting yourself.
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If you want to overcome mindless scrolling, this video is for you.
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I will show you easy habits and tips to break your social media addiction, so you can regain your focus and change your life.
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So here are 15 habits to stop doom scrolling.
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Change your phone settings.
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The first step is to make scrolling on your phone less enjoyable.
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So set your screen to black and white.
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This will ensure that you don't get the same dopamine hit as before.
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Now turn off notifications for all apps and turn on do not disturb.
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I have the setting on pretty much all the time so I don't get distracted by my phone throughout the day.
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Another useful feature is the app limit which limits the time you spend on each app.
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Out of sight, out of mind.
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How many times did you mindlessly grab your phone just because it was laying next to you?
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So put it in another room, hide it in a drawer or only charge it in the living room.
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By simply removing it from your space, you'll be less tempted to check it.
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Don't use your phone in the morning.
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Don't go on social media to wake yourself up because this just leads you to hourless scrolling.
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That's because the first dopamine hit that you get is what you will continue to look for throughout the day.
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So instead, you can read a book or make a morning playlist with chill songs.
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You can also listen to a podcast or look at a Pinterest board with your goals or your favorite quotes.
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All these things get you in the perfect mindset to start the day.
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Set up your home screen.
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The way you design your home screen can make such a huge difference in your phone use.
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First, remove all social media apps from your home screen, so whenever you want to use it, you actually have to search it up,
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which makes you more mindful.
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Now, only keep specific apps that serve a clear intention.
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I have set up these different focuses, like one for work, another one for exercising, and one for some chill time.
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This helps me to stay focused throughout the day.
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Find things to do instead.
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The easiest way to stop scrolling is doing things that make you forget about your phone.
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So read books, draw, bake something, take a walk outside or spend time with friends.
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There are literally hundreds of fun activities you can try out and if you are looking for some inspo,
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I've made videos on things you can do when you're bored but you can also look on apps like Pinterest.
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This way you don't even have to try to stay off your phone, you simply enjoy spending time with yourself.
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Use the 10 -minute rule.
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Now that you have things you can do instead, you will still get the urge every now and then to go on your phone.
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So a method that helped me is the 10 -minute rule.
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This rule says that you can give into any distraction, but in 10 minutes.
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This way you can acknowledge that you are in control and that you're not dependent on instant gratification.
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The idea is that you're building that ability over time.
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So the 10 -minute rule becomes a 12 minute rule, becomes a 15 minute rule.
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And you're learning, wait a minute, I can't actually delay gratification.
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Remember, all these problems of distraction are an impulse control issue.
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So by building this trust within you over time, delaying gratification becomes the norm for you.
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Get clear on your goals.
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It's not normal to be exposed to thousands of highlight reels that make you constantly feel like you're lacking something.
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This is why so many of us nowadays are insecure and have low self -esteem.
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So instead, focus on putting all your energy into yourself.
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Get clear on your goals and set a vision board as your lock screen.
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Having a purpose will get you out of that lag mindset and into one of abundance and motivation.
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Now you're too invested to achieve your highest potential to even care what other people are doing.
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Download useful apps.
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Delete apps that distract you, I recommend especially those ones with short form content, and download the ones that help you.
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Habit is an app that helps you to build new habits by reminding you with notifications and tracking your progress.
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With Flora you can stay focused by setting a timer and
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when you don't use your phone in that time you'll grow these pretty plants.
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Lastly, ScreenSend helps you to stop doom scrolling by setting an app limit or locking away distracting apps for complete focus.
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Make your phone benefit you
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Just as social media can be very bad for your mental health, it can also bring you many benefits.
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So unfollow accounts that just distract you and follow those ones who inspire and motivate you.
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Consume videos that you can learn from and help you on your journey to grow into the best version of you.
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You can also start by pressing uninterested on your TikTok feed so your algorithm only shows you content that benefits you.
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Remember, even you watching this video right now is a sign that you are ready for a change.
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Just take the first step.
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Define the deeper issue.
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The reason why you have a phone addiction is because you try to distract yourself from something.
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It can be boredom, the homework you are procrastinating, or your own negative beliefs about yourself.
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So work on the root of your problems by doing shadow work.
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Ask yourself questions to know the deeper issue and once you know what it is, you can take the first step on healing yourself.
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This causes your phone addiction to automatically disappear
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because you are no longer in need of something that will provide you comfort because you can provide it by yourself.
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Understand your phone addiction.
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By understanding why you are addicted to your phone, you can become more mindful and take steps against it.
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So read books like these ones, listen to podcasts and watch videos on this topic.
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Social media platforms are designed to keep us as long as possible on the app because when an app is free, you are the product.
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By scrolling, you get a huge dopamine hit and over time you are
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so overstimulated that your attention span gets shorter and shorter and most importantly you lose focus to do anything that is important.
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With instant gratification you lack fulfillment in your life.
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So instead learn how to delay gratification.
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If you do things today that your future self would thank you for, you unlock long term success and happiness.
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Plan out your day.
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I think we all relate to this when we tell ourselves we had enough.
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We will change, no more mindless scrolling and the next day, well, nothing has changed.
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That's because you can't rely purely on willpower.
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So what helps is planning out your day.
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When you have a full schedule of things that you enjoy, you have less time for distraction.
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Write down the time, action and the place.
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Like at 11am, I'm going to meditate for 10 minutes in my room.
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This way you'll think less about scrolling and more about following the things you've planned.
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Create your environment mindfully.
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Now that you made your bad habits invisible, make the good ones visible.
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So switch your phone with some books next to your bed or if you're into painting, put some brushes on your desk.
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This way you don't even have to think about doing them,
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you just see them and automatically take action which leads you to make better choices throughout the day.
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Put a hairband around your phone.
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Putting a hairband around your phone prevents you from mindless scrolling
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because every time you see it you can ask yourself do I have a clear intention in mind,
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is this intention serving me and am I spending my time in the right way?
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If the answer to any of these questions is no put away your phone.
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But if you have a clear intention in mind you can remove the hairband and use it.
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This teaches your subconscious mind to only grab your phone when it's necessary.
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3. Forgive yourself For me, the hardest part of dealing with my phone addiction was the immense guilt and distrust I was feeling.
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I knew if I did other things, I would be way further in life and way happier, but I just couldn't stop using my phone.
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And that made me feel so disappointed in myself.
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But you can't hate yourself into change.
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You can only do it from a place of love and forgiveness.
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Once you stop looking at the past and envision your dream life,
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your vision of the future is stronger than your doubts of the past and you can let go.
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This is when change truly happens.
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Learning how to use your phone effectively may be one of the most important life skills any of us can learn.
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Trust me, if you practice these tips,
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you will overcome your phone addiction and get so much more appreciation for the small things in your everyday life.
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Just take the first step.
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Thank you so much for watching and see you in the next video.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “15 tips to stop doom scrolling ✧ end your phone addiction *✧･ﾟ:*”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: app, scrolling, addiction, rule. This video has 116 sentences and 1607 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:41. The speaker talks fast, about 185 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| scroll noun | /skɹoʊl/ | A roll of paper or parchment; a writing formed into a roll. |
| addiction noun | /əˈdɪkˌʃən/ | A state that is characterized by compulsive drug use or compulsive engagement in rewarding behavior, despite negative consequences. |
| distract verb | /dɪˈstɹækt/ | To divert the attention of. |
| habit noun | /ˈhæb.ɪt/ | An action performed on a regular basis. |
| intention noun | /ɪnˈtɛnʃn̩/ | A course of action that a person intends to follow. |
| delay noun | /dɪˈleɪ̯/ | A period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity. |
| distraction noun | /dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/ | Something that distracts. |
| instant noun | /ˈɪnstənt/ | A very short period of time; a moment. |
| overcome verb | /ˌəʊ.vəˈkʌm/ | To surmount (a physical or abstract obstacle); to prevail over, to get the better of. |
| chill verb | /tʃɪl/ | To lower the temperature of something; to cool. |
| podcast noun | /ˈpɑdˌkæst/ | A program, especially an audio program, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on… |
| notification noun | /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/ | The act of notifying. |
| mindset noun | /ˈmaɪn(d)ˌsɛt/ | A way of thinking; an attitude or opinion, especially a habitual one. |
| doom noun | /duːm/ | Destiny, especially terrible. |
| topic noun | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| plan out verb | to plan, organize, make a plan for something | |
| set up verb | /ˌsɛt ˈʌp/ | To make ready for use. |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. | |
| lock away verb | To lock up; to lock in a safe place, out of view. | |
| put away verb | To put (something) in its usual storage place; to place out of the way, clean up. | |
| try out verb | To test (something) to see how it works or whether it is suitable. | |
| turn off verb | To power down, to switch off, to put out of operation, to deactivate (an appliance, light, mechanism, functionality etc.). | |
| write down verb | To produce or set (something) down in writing; to record something. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Are you feeling tired?
- Don't use your phone in the morning.
- That's because you can't rely purely on willpower.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have set · I've made · has changed |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be exposed · are addicted · are designed |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | The easiest · your highest · the best |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | stop scrolling · enjoy spending · stop using |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 25 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: addiction /əˈdɪkˌʃən/, intention /ɪnˈtɛnʃn̩/, distraction /dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/, notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/, shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/
- Long words — get the stress right: notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/, disappointed /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnɪd/, inspiration /ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, appreciation /əˌpɹiː.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like scroll, addiction, distract.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.